Thrown Down
by Muzzy-Olorea
Summary: [MS] Set during [S2]. Deep down they both knew what they wanted but they were too scared to admit it. Now they’re playing the game and slowly learning how to break down barriers.
1. He Fell For Her

**Thrown Down**

**MS Set during S2. Deep down they both knew what they wanted but they were too scared to admit it. Now they're playing the game and slowly learning how to break down barriers.**

**Chapter One: He Fell For Her**

**_Disclaimer: My Muse, my imagination and my dreams are all mine (but can be rented for a high fee). I'm sure if I owned the cast and characters we would have an enormous amount of fun (but I don't. I'm just borrowing them). _**

**'Thrown Down' – Fleetwood Mac**

**A/N:- I haven't written anything quite like this before so it's interesting to see how it works. The plan is to make this span most of the season with my tweaking of several points. I've just rewatched the whole 24 episodes so the changes are intentional rather than my lack of observation (at least that's what I'll tell you anyway.)**

Martin could feel her.

At first he thought he was just imagining it and it was the remains of a dream that hadn't quite floated away but then he felt her hair tickle his face and his eyes shot open and he knew he wasn't dreaming.

The harsh morning light came blaring through the curtains which hadn't been closed the night before and combined with the throbbing pain in his head, it was awhile before he could focus on the LED display on the bedside clock. It was only 6am so he could let his bedroom companion sleep awhile longer before they needed to start thinking about work. He thought about getting up and having a shower but he could feel her leg resting on top of his and her head was in the crook of his arm and he didn't want to wake her.

He remembered last night, not exactly clearly, but he still remembered most of it and that meant he couldn't even put down the fact that they slept together to blind drunkenness. He could remember the very moment that he should have said 'No' and walked away. He knew that she was drunk, upset, in pain and looking for some comfort for one night and he also knew that one night wasn't what he wanted, so why the hell hadn't he walked away?

Martin thought he felt her stir but she only shifted a bit and carried on sleeping. She looked so peaceful and relaxed he found himself thinking that the awkwardness between them that would follow would almost be worth the one night of good sleep that she got. He reached out and gently brushed some of the hair out of her face. Half an hour from now she would be looking at him awkwardly, perhaps apologetically, as she gently pushed him back out of her life, holding him at arm's length where he belonged and all the stuff that they had said and done last night would be forgotten. Then there would be the uncomfortable transitional stage where they go back from being something slightly more than co-workers back to work colleagues and nothing more. Was last night worth all of that?

He didn't know it but she felt his fingers brush her face and she could smell his cologne strong enough to have a vague idea of what happened last night. But whether it was because she didn't want to face him or whether it was because she was just so comfortable lying in his arms, she refused to obtain full consciousness and acknowledge the awkward position she had put them both in.

She had honestly never imagined he would be that good. She had always known he was kind and caring but last night he had really made her feel better. She was down and agitated when she had gone back to the office looking for something to distract her but as soon as they had hit the bar, she had started to unwind – and that was even before the tipsiness had ensued. Asking him up to her apartment was a great moment of weakness on her part. She was drunk and he was there and she had just given into that attraction like there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Martin glanced at the clock and watched as the screen changed from 29 to 30. Then he gently brought his head down near hers and shook her gently, bracing himself for weeks of torment. "Sam, Sam it's time to get up."

Her eyes fluttered open and stared straight up into his but she didn't immediately jump out of bed and hastily retreat to the shower - she just lay there, looking up at him.

This was definitely not how he expected her to react waking up after a drunken one night with a co-worker. It was like she had expected – maybe even wanted – him to be there.

"It's time to get up." Martin said again, keeping his eyes locked with hers.

Samantha turned and hid her head under a pillow, pulling the covers over their heads in a childlike fashion. "The alarm hasn't gone off yet." She moaned.

She was acting like they had woken up next to each other naked for months and that this was nothing unusual. It wasn't a bad thing … just surprising. Martin chuckled and ran a finger lightly down her back, watching her shudder involuntary. "We didn't exactly get round to setting the alarm last night." He whispered in her ear.

Samantha was glad she had her back to him as she wouldn't have been able to hide the hint of a smile on her face. "You can go and have a shower and I'll make some coffee."

"Oh no, I've tasted the stuff you make and I need something far stronger this morning." Martin said, rubbing his head. "You go have a shower and I'll make the coffee."

"You ordering me around in my own apartment Fitzgerald?" She said, rolling over to look at him.

"Well, I think it's quite fair considering you clearly took advantage of me last night." Martin smirked.

Samantha opened her mouth in mock shock. "I did no such thing!"

"I recall you mentioning needing a drink. You never said anything about wanting to roll around under the sheets afterwards." Martin carried on teasing her. "If I knew what dangerous grounds I was getting myself in for then-"

"Then what?" Samantha questioned, the smile disappearing from her face. She really wanted to know what he thought about this behind all the flirting.

He looked at her seriously, dropping the playfulness from his tone. "Then I would probably have done it anyway." He said finally.

The corners of Samantha's mouth twitched. "I'll go and take a shower." She said quietly, wrapping herself in a sheet and climbing out of bed.

Martin lay stretched out, his head on the pillow, trying to get the thudding in his head to stop. He hadn't experienced a lot of them but he had certainly never had a morning after quite like that.

When Samantha emerged from the bathroom, she was wearing a fresh suit and blouse and had a towel round her shoulders to stop her wet hair dripping everywhere. Martin handed her a cup silently and she smiled her thanks before taking a sip.

"So you going to tell me the secret behind your coffee making?" She said, inhaling the powerful aroma and taking a seat at the breakfast table, noticing that Martin had taken in the newspapers and had made toast just like her belonged there.

"Sorry it's a trade secret." Martin smiled, taking the seat opposite her before deciding to say what was running through his mind. "I have to say Sam, I'm surprised you're really calm about what happened last night."

Samantha gave a nervous laugh and ran a hand through her wet hair. "I'm not. I'm not calm." She clarified. "Inside I'm freaking out really badly. I was so distracted I had to wash my hair twice because I wasn't sure whether I'd already done it and whilst I may be giving you the impression that I'm really calm about this … I'm really not."

Martin smiled at her rambling. "Okay."

"I, erm, this really isn't any excuse," She started, pinching the bridge of her nose. "But I was upset at getting sent home, I was annoyed that my leg was still hurting and I was doubting my judgement in the shooting and you were there being a really good friend and letting me ramble, pretty much like I'm doing now, and I ended up getting hopelessly drunk and when I get drunk I get all touchy feely especially when I'm around an attractive guy I like and it was really stupid and the fact I messed up our friendship and work relationship doesn't really deserve an excuse but if it's any consolation my rather crap life has just got worse by having a really bad headache."

Martin watched her wrap and then unwrap her hands round her mug nervously. "We."

Samantha looked at him, confused.

"You said 'I' ended up getting hopelessly drunk but clearly you meant 'We' because I can't account for a lot of my actions yesterday and I don't even have an excuse for getting so drunk - except for maybe wanting to keep you company. I should have gone home last night. You're having a hard time and you didn't need to wake up to this."

"Maybe I did and that was the problem." Samantha said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Martin waved away her apology.

"So we're okay?" Samantha checked.

"Of course." Martin smiled and then his smile grew larger. "So you think I'm attractive?" he teased.

Samantha looked a bit caught off-guard at the comment before she realised he was playing with her. "Of course. Deputy Director's son, think of all that money ………"

Martin put on his best hurt face. "And I definitely remember telling you in all honesty last night that I thought you were beautiful, smart and sexy."

Samantha tried not to let his words cause her as much pleasure as they did but it was hard when he was giving her _that_ smile. "I don't remember that." She said cocking her head to one side.

"I think it was just before you kissed me."

"Now that explains things. Don't you know Martin, you never say those kind of things to an insecure emotional girl who has had too much to drink unless it's your explicit intention to get her to sleep with you." Samantha said shaking her finger at him with a laugh. "So it's actually YOUR fault you're sitting here eating my bread first thing in the morning and I have every right to order YOU to go and have a shower."

Martin sat there grinning at her causing Samantha to burst out laughing.

"I'm serious." She insisted. "Hurry up or we're going to be late." She laughed, throwing her wet towel at him as he retreated into the bathroom.

**A/N:- If only this entire story could be pure fluff. But it's not. There's Angst because without Angst, Fluff isn't fluffy. Anyway, drop me a review. I vaguely know where I'm going with this but if there's a specific moment in Season 2 you really want me to deal with/do something with then let me know and I'll look into it.**


	2. Day By Day But More Important – Night By

**Chapter Two: Day By Day But More Important – Night By Night**

**_Disclaimer: My Muse, my imagination and my dreams are all mine (but can be rented for a high fee). I'm sure if I owned the cast and characters we would have an enormous amount of fun (but I don't. I'm just borrowing them). _**

**'Thrown Down' – Fleetwood Mac**

**A/N:- Thanks for the encouragement guys. I know not a lot happens in this chapter but bear with me and it'll all start fitting into place.**

"I brought you some more coffee." Martin said, leaning down over her and placing a polystyrene cup on her desk.

"Thank you." Samantha muttered, rifling through some papers.

"For someone who's just found our latest missing person alive AND received some of the highest quality coffee in town in the same hour, that's not a very happy 'thank you'." Martin remarked.

Samantha spun her chair round to face him. "I have to see a therapist."

Martin raised his eyebrows. "Last night was THAT bad for you huh?"

Samantha managed to break into a small smile at his ability to turn the whole thing into a joke within a space of twenty-four hours. "No it's not about last night, well, it's to do with everything that led up to last night which I guess it means it is to do with last night. Well, you get it." She sighed.

"It was a good shoot Sam. You had to shoot them."

"I know that, the OPR knows that, but Jack's worried about my state of mind. Obviously thinks I'm insane." Samantha said, turning back to her paperwork, irritated.

"Well," Martin said lowering his voice and bringing his mouth down next to Samantha's ear. "You slept with me. You can't be that insane."

Samantha shook her head in disbelief as he walked away. She couldn't believe how they had gone from being work colleagues to friends to bed partners to two people shamelessly flirting with each other seamlessly within a space of a day – and strangely enough it was working. Thinking about how she would have expected the morning after to be and comparing it with the reality, she couldn't help wondering what was really going on between her and Martin.

"You look oddly lost in thought." Danny said, leaning over the wooden shelf of her desk, startling her.

"I'm practising the 'deeply in thought' look for when I have to see my therapist." Samantha said sarcastically.

"You're seeing a therapist? About time too, I was getting worried about all the voodoo dolls I found in your desk drawer." Danny grinned.

Samantha shot him an irritated look. "Not in the mood Danny. I'm stuck on desk duty and have a really bad headache that refuses to go away."

"Want some painkillers?"

Samantha shook her head. "I'm so doped up already, any more and I think you'll be rushing me to hospital to pump my stomach." She groaned, rubbing her face in her hands.

"Present for you." Vivian said dumping a pile of folders on her desk.

Samantha stared at it in severe distaste.

"Sorry." Vivian apologised. "Blame Jack."

"Could this day get any worse?" Samantha said, resting her head on her desk in exhaustion.

"As an FBI Agent, you should have learnt never to say something like that Sam, as it inevitably always does." Danny said, patting her on her back before heading over to his desk. "One more report to write and then I'm out of here for today." He announced cheerfully.

"If you're not careful Taylor, I'll be making you into a voodoo doll." Samantha muttered before pulling the stack of folders in front of her.

……………..

When Martin came back from the filing room, most of the people had gone home and the lights were dimmed. Out of his team, only Samantha was still at her desk and even she looked barely awake.

"You're here without coffee. Why?" She muttered, staring at his empty hands.

"I'm sorry." He chuckled. "But I didn't expect you to still be here. I'm sure Jack doesn't want all of this done tonight."

Samantha sat back and groaned. "I have an appointment with Dr. Harris at 8pm so as much as I would like to go home and sleep, unfortunately I can't."

"You want me to go bring you up some food?"

Samantha was touched at his offer and she was glad that he was still at the office with her despite all that she had put him through. "No thanks, the thought of food makes me sick." She said, rubbing her neck distractedly.

Martin watched her working her neck and he moved to stand behind her, watching her hands drop away. "Lean forward." He instructed, brushing the hair away from the back of her neck and resting his hands on her shoulders. She did as she was told and closed her eyes as his fingers slowly moved up and began massaging the base of her neck.

"You should be at home asleep." She said sleepily.

"Yes but clearly you're having a bad day and you need my hands to work their magic. Besides," he added quietly. "I'm such a sucker for damsels in distress."

Samantha dropped her head back to look up at him. "I can tell."

Martin grinned down at her like a schoolboy.

She looked at him searchingly for a moment. "Martin?"

"Yeah?"

"Agent Spade?"

Both Martin and Samantha jumped in surprise and Martin took a step back like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have.

Samantha stood up to face the unknown woman. "You must be Doctor Harris."

"Yeah. I know I'm a bit early but are you ready for your appointment?" Dr Harris asked, her eyes flicking from Samantha to Martin and back again.

Samantha shrugged. "Sure, let's get this over with." She said, turning round and rolling her eyes at Martin.

"You want a lift home afterwards?" Martin offered, sticking his hands in his pocket and pulling out his cell phone to check a message.

"No, no I'll be fine." Samantha said, pulling on her jacket. "Thanks." She said quietly, touching him lightly on the arm on her way out.

Martin waited until she had left the bull pen before turning off the lamps and heading out himself. Today had certainly been ….. different.

**A/N:- As always reviews are a little drop of happiness for me.**


	3. She Watched It All Come Into Play

**Chapter Three: She Watched It All Come Into Play**

**_Disclaimer: My Muse, my imagination and my dreams are all mine (but can be rented for a high fee). I'm sure if I owned the cast and characters we would have an enormous amount of fun (but I don't. I'm just borrowing them). _**

**'Thrown Down' – Fleetwood Mac**

**A/N:- Here's a long chapter for you! Thanks for all your lovely reviews so far.**

"You and Doctor Harris hit it off well last night?"

"Yeah, we had a bundle of fun." Samantha said dryly, leaning back in her chair and dropping her pen on her pad of paper. "Did you know that getting shot in the leg and shooting two armed suspects may cause you severe emotional stress?" She said mimicking Doctor Harris' voice.

Martin chuckled and pulled out a seat at the conference table. "I hope they're paying her well."

"She wanted to know everything about everything, like I owed it to her to tell her everything from what was running through my head as I pulled the trigger to what type of shampoo I use." Samantha moaned.

"It's her job to pry." Martin said opening a case-file. "And it's lavender."

"What?" Samantha, said looking at him confused.

"The type of shampoo you use is lavender." Martin explained, looking up.

"You used my shampoo?" Samantha said, crossing her arms and giving him an amused look.

"What! It was the only thing in there." Martin exclaimed. "It smells really nice but it's kind of sticky and hard to get out of your hair."

"That's the conditioner!" Samantha laughed. "You should use it more often, makes you hair all nice and silky." She said, reaching over and touching his hair.

"I like my hair like it is thank you very much." Martin grumbled, smoothing down his hair.

"Good for you Martin. Stand by your own judgement I always say." Danny said, joining them. "New case in yet?"

"Nope." Vivian announced from behind him. "But Jack's on the phone now so I imagine that's something coming in."

"Great for you guys but not for me who'll be stuck on desk duty anyway." Samantha grumbled.

"You know I have a three year-old cousin with more patience than you?" Danny smirked.

"Your three year-old cousin doesn't have an OPR meeting today with Schmidt." Samantha glared.

"Okay guys, new case." Jack announced walking into the bull pen and putting a photo up on the board. "Henry Stevens, 55, Pastor at St Germaine's, hasn't been seen since dinner two nights ago. Danny, I want you over at his apartment, Martin, interview the pastor's Doctor, Viv, you and I are headed over to St Germaine's."

"And I'll be going over his accounts." Samantha said with an irritated sigh, pushing her chair away from the table back over to her desk without another word. Jack, Vivian and Danny exchanged a look whilst Martin simply let the silence brew.

Five minutes later, Martin had looked up his route to Stevens' doctor and paused by Samantha's desk on the way out. "Good luck for OPR." He said.

Samantha pulled a face. "Thanks. If I'm not here when you're back you know why."

Martin laughed and rubbed her back lightly. "You'll be fine." He said, walking out to the elevator.

As he was swiping out and removing his I.D tag, he overheard a dark-skinned Agent telling security that his name was Agent Schmidt and he was here for an OPR investigation. Martin paused and wondered whether interfering was the wise thing to do but then he thought about Samantha and about how if he was in her shoes, he would be just as desperate to get back into the field.

"Agent Schmidt?" Martin said, stopping the other Agent before he got to the elevators. Schmidt looked at him for an I.D tag. "I'm Martin Fitzgerald, the other agent involved in the shooting you're investigating."

Recognition crossed the OPR guy's face. "Ah yes, the deputy director's son." Martin clenched his fist. He hated always being known as his father's son. "I read your report on the case. Is there anything you want to add?"

"No, well, I just wanted to make sure you know that Agent Spade is ready to go back in the field. It was a good shoot and if I were two paces ahead, I would have been the one to shoot down the suspects and then you wouldn't even be here."

Howard Schmidt took a moment to observe the Agent in front of him. "Agent Spade a friend of yours Agent Fitzgerald?"

Martin's eyes narrowed and he shrugged. "Sure, we all are on the team but what has that got to do with anything?"

"She's seems like a nice girl …. Very pretty."

Martin's jaw set, seeing where this was going.

"Do yourself a favour Agent Fitzgerald and stop trying to cover her ass." Agent Schmidt said, lowering his voice before walking into an elevator.

Martin tensed and after the elevator doors closed he stormed out, cursing Schmidt under his breath and just hoping that he hadn't make things worse for Samantha.

………………………………………………

Samantha had just started reading through Father Henry Stevens' credit card bills when Paula Van Doran came in telling her that Agent Schmidt was ready for her. She had walked in there, ready to argue her point no matter what this Schmidt guy said to her but his laid back, silent approach had unnerved her. Still, reading through his report, she was glad to see that the OPR had cleared her of breaching any bureau protocol even if they had suggested she wasn't fully rehabilitated and ready for fulltime fieldwork.

"I got shot two months ago and spent those seven weeks on desk duty. It was just bad luck that those suspects needed taking down the first day I was allowed back in the field. I _am_ ready to be back." Samantha told Schmidt firmly.

"You think you are."

"I _know_ I am." Samantha insisted. "Look, you guys are already making me see a therapist in my own time even though I'm telling you the shootings haven't affected me. It's time I was recertified and let back in the field."

Agent Schmidt nodded slightly. "Agent Fitzgerald obviously seems to share your point of view." He said, watching closely to see the signs of surprise cross Samantha's face showing that she hadn't put him up to it. "Unfortunately it's not up to him or you to decide when you'll be recertified. You'll get your gun back when OPR, your office director and your supervisor thinks you're ready. You may go now."

Samantha glared at him hard on her way out.

"_**Remind me to slam that OPR guy with a softball at the next spring **_

_**picnic."**_

"**_I'm not sure that's how you get on their good side. Jack wants you to take a look at Father Steven's bible and recent sermons."_** Vivian said, handing her colleague and fat book.

" **_You've got to talk to him, Viv, get him to lean on OPR."_**

"**_I am not getting into the middle of it."_**

"**_This is taking too long. I should be re-certified by now."_**

"**_Samantha, you shot and killed two people."_**

"**_Wait, two armed suspects who had their guns trained on me."_**

"**_No one's doubting your actions, but they cannot rush you back into the field."_**

"**_I am fine! Okay? I'm fine." _**Samantha insisted, wondering how many more times she would have to say that before she was allowed back to doing her job fully.

"**_Restless is not the same as "fine"."_**

Samantha's eyes narrowed in realisation. **_"You don't think I'm ready, do you?"_**

"**_No."_**

Samantha grabbed the bible and stalked away from her work partner, heading towards the break room and setting up shop on the table in there. She knew that what Vivian was telling her was exactly what Jack thought but she knew that Jack knew how she would react if he told her that himself so he had let his friend deal with her. Nice, she was being treated like a fierce dog on a leash, straining to get free and barking so furiously that no one would go near her.

She slammed open the bible and tried to focus on the case. Then she started wondering what Schmidt had meant when he said '"Agent Fitzgerald obviously seems to share your point of view."'

……………………………..

Martin didn't even have five minutes free to give her a text or phone her all day to find out how the OPR meeting went but when he got the call from Jack in Jacksonville telling them he had found Father Stevens, he headed back to the office hoping that she was still there. It was crazy how things had changed between them in the past few days – she used to be his colleague whom he had admired from afar, now she was the person whom he seemed to be constantly thinking about.

"Wow you've made quite the little office for yourself in here." Martin said opening the door to the break room and standing in the doorway. He had been surprised to find her in there instead of in the bull pen with Danny and Vivian.

Samantha looked up from the report she had been writing. "You know, sometimes I just need some peace and quiet."

Martin looked at her for a beat before stepping into the room and saying "Danny or Viv?"

"Viv." Samantha sighed, tapping her pen on the table, feeling slightly guilty bitching about their colleague when it wasn't even her fault. "She doesn't think I'm ready to go back in the field."

Martin pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. "What did OPR say?"

"That I didn't breach any Bureau protocol with the shooting but they're still undecided about when I can be recertified. They don't think I'm ready."

"And Vivian agrees with them?"

"So does Jack. I just-" Samantha paused. She could feel her words beginning to catch in her throat. It wasn't about being a petulant child and sulking when she couldn't get what she wanted. It was about how due to one undercover op that went bad, due to no fault of her own, everyone had become unwilling to trust her. "I just feel that everyone's lost faith in me."

Martin looked at her. He didn't think he had ever seen someone look so vulnerable and insecure. He moved his chair closer and gently rested his hand on top of hers. "Do you think you're ready to go back in the field?"

Samantha frowned, wondering why he was asking that … hadn't that been her point all along? "Of course."

Martin let her statement hang in the air for awhile before continuing. "So if we were out in the field, in the same park as before and there's two suspects with their guns trained on a civilian……. We announce ourselves but they refuse to put down their guns, they point their guns at us instead, there's nothing else you can do – you have to shoot. Would you do it immediately or would you hesitate as thoughts of what happened last time flash through your mind?"

The silence fell thick across the room. Samantha thought about what he was saying and imagined herself out there, in that situation ….. what would she do?

Martin saw the doubt enter the eyes and the fear.

"I …" She started but she didn't know what else to say. She was ready to go back out there but was she ready to take a life again without even thinking about it for a second?

Martin ran his thumb softly over her hand. "I believe that you would do it." He said steadily. "I believe if we were out there and you were presented with a situation which left you with no choice except to shoot to kill, you would do it because you know it's the right thing to do."

Samantha swallowed. Feeling his hand over hers and seeing him being able to look so deeply into her eyes without feeling awkward made her want to believe in his belief. However, he had brought up doubt and uncertainty and she wasn't as sure as him.

"But it's no good me believing in you." Martin said. "Do you believe in yourself?"

Samantha looked down unsurely. "Uh, I don't know." She said, feeling uncomfortable that Martin could read her so easily. Another long pause ensued. "Thanks for speaking to Schmidt earlier." She said, shifting the subject a bit.

Now it was Martin's turn to feel awkward. He hadn't thought the Agent would tell Samantha about his visit and now he didn't know what to say to explain himself. "I didn't say anything that he shouldn't have already known." He shrugged.

Samantha nodded and smiled a little. Martin squeezed her hand before letting it go. "Come on, let's get out of here." He said standing up.

Samantha closed the files and grabbed her stuff, letting Martin rest his hand on her back and lead her out.

It was nice having someone believe in her even if she didn't believe in herself.

**A/N:- Love to hear what you think!**


	4. It's So Overwhelming

**Chapter Four: It's So Overwhelming**

**_Disclaimer: My Muse, my imagination and my dreams are all mine (but can be rented for a high fee). I'm sure if I owned the cast and characters we would have an enormous amount of fun (but I don't. I'm just borrowing them). _**

**'Thrown Down' – Fleetwood Mac**

**A/N:- I am not responsible for the length of this chapter – I didn't realise it was this long until I went to re-read it so I apologise if it's over waffly.**

It had been a couple of weeks since her OPR meeting and she had only been back out in the field for a few days when Whitney Ridder went missing so she was rather surprised to hear Jack was willing to send _her_ to the other side of the country. She had pretended to be reluctant to go but deep down a part of her had been secretly thrilled at getting to spend a couple of days alone with Martin.

It was something of a paradox how one drunken mistake had led to so much more for them. He had really been there for her these past couple of weeks, always listening to her when she just needed to vent and generally just being supportive. So far though, they hadn't had enough time to even think about spending time together outside of work and even if they did, Samantha didn't think she would have found the courage to ask him out for drinks again.

"Okay, our flight's at 11:45 so that should give us enough time to get our stuff together and drive to the airport." Martin said, putting down the phone and heading over to her desk.

She stood up and gathered her things together, looking around to say goodbye to the others before noticing they were all out in the field, tracking down leads.

"I'll drive." Martin said, picking up a set of keys for a bureau car from the desk on the way.

"You drove last time." Samantha shot.

"Who's counting?" Martin grinned as they walked across the parking lot to their car.

"Come on, give me the keys." She said, tugging them out of his hand. "Do I need to remind you again that I've been stuck in an office for several months on end and that getting to drive is quite possibly the most exciting thing in my life at the moment?"

"When is that line going to get too old for you to use?" Martin grumbled, climbing into the passenger seat.

"Maybe it'll be like Danny and his chat-up lines and it'll never grow old." Samantha laughed, starting the car.

"How does it feel Jack trusting you enough to let you out of his sight?" Martin asked as Samantha navigated the busy New York streets.

"Actually I don't think it's a question of trust, I think it's a question of Jack wanting me out of his hair." Samantha replied.

"You shouldn't be so pessimistic all of the time."

"You're sounding rather like someone I don't like very much." She sighed.

"Poor Dr Harris hasn't won you over yet?"

Samantha shook her head. "She's so ….. intrusive – it's not natural." She said, glancing out of her window to check the lights.

"It's turning red." Martin warned her.

Samantha put her foot down on the pedal hard, throwing Martin back against his seat. Traffic coming from the other direction had already started moving and Samantha had to make a quick swerve to avoid being hit.

Once they had slowed down to a normal speed, Martin looked at her in amazement. "I know you haven't been driving on the roads a lot recently but there's this little thing we like to call traffic lights and red tends to mean 'stop' not 'let's speed up and drive like a maniac and narrowly miss getting hit'.'"

"What? We made it didn't we?" Samantha smirked.

"Just." Martin muttered, tightening his seat belt.

Two minutes later Samantha pulled up outside her apartment block and pulled her keys out. "Do you want to come up?"

"I don't know, last time you said that it involved me taking my clothes off." Martin quipped, opening the car door and heading onto the sidewalk.

Samantha faced him, running her eyes up and down his body with a seductive half-smile on her smile. "You can take them off this time as well if you want." She said, leaning forward and whispering in his ear flirtatiously. "But as for me, I'll be finding clean clothes to stuff in a bag." She added in a normal voice, leading the way up to her apartment.

He knew she was doing what they had been doing for the past few weeks and just playing with him but Martin couldn't help but feel incredibly hot under her gaze. And this wasn't the first time. It didn't take a lot anymore – all she had to do was brush past him, smile at him flirtatiously or even when he looked at her for more than thirty seconds at a time…… These next couple of days was going to push him to his limit. "Well, don't forget to pack a swimsuit as well. Weather says it's going to be hot."

"In southern California – never!" Samantha said sarcastically.

"Okay, cut the sarcasm smartass." Martin said, his hands resting on her hips, pushing her out of the elevator once they had reached her floor.

Samantha bit her tongue from saying anything else but she really loved feeling his hands on her again even if it was through two layers of cloth and his intention purely friendly.

"Make yourself at home." She said, waving her hand to the living room whilst she headed into her bedroom to fetch some clothes and her passport.

Martin looked around. He hadn't spent a lot of time in this room last time he was here but it was exactly how he had imagined it – it looked a lot like his living room, like it didn't get lived in much. There were a couple of old newspapers on the coffee table and a large plant that looked like it had outgrown its pot on the shelf and that was about it – no photos, no ornaments, none of her FBI certificates framed on the walls. He sat down on the sofa and had barely reached for the TV remote when Samantha appeared in the doorway.

"I'm done." She said. "Your apartment now."

Martin reached down to carry her overnight bag for her.

"It's not heavy, I can carry it." She said but Martin ignored her and simply walked to the front door. Samantha smiled at his gentlemanly behaviour and locked up.

Martin's apartment was the other side of town from hers and by the time they got there, the streets were so busy, they couldn't find anywhere to park so in the end Samantha just had to drive around whilst Martin ran up to grab his stuff. She had to admit that she was more than a bit disappointed that she didn't get to see the inside of his apartment but making sure they caught their flight was their overriding priority unfortunately.

Samantha was sipping her orange juice and flicking through her in-flight magazine when Martin laid out a folder in front of her.

"Meet Lucas Vohland." Martin announced.

Samantha stared at the photo of the forty year-old criminal in front of her and scrunched up her face in disgust. "Nice."

"Yeah that's what his cellmate said." Martin chuckled. "Okay to get you up to speed, there's not a lot this guy doesn't do ….. robbery, counterfeiting, fraud - a regular con artist. Started at the age of sixteen and hasn't stopped since."

"When did he get let out of prison?" Samantha asked.

"Erm, let me check." Martin said, leaning across to flick through the file.

Samantha felt his breath on her face as his eyes skimmed over the pages and the smell of his cologne reminded her of the morning not too long ago when she woke up in his arms. Tingly – that's what best described how she felt when he was this close to her and she found herself staring at him.

"You didn't shave this morning." She observed.

"Yeah, I had a late night last night." Martin said, rubbing his hand across his chin distractedly.

Samantha felt the familiar pang of jealousy and bit down on her lip, dropping her gaze.

Martin seemed to notice something was up because he looked up from the file and across at her. "What?"

"Nothing." Samantha said instantly, drawing the folder towards her and pretending to read it.

Martin leaned against the arm rest and observed her for a minute. Was she jealous? "What? You can say it."

Samantha looked across at him, sucking in her breath slowly. "Who's the lucky girl?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant and failing miserably.

"Lindsay."

"Oh."

Martin looked at her, a smile spreading over his face. God she _was_ jealous. He let the look of disappointment linger over her face for a moment before deciding to put her out of her misery. "She's my cousin. It was her birthday so we went out for dinner."

"Oh. That's nice." Samantha said with a shrug. Dammit. Why couldn't she be a good actress!

"He got let out two months ago." Martin said, referring back to the case and letting Samantha off the spot for a minute.

"Well, that's certainly plenty of time to plan another scam with Whitney." Samantha mused, sitting back in her seat.

"Certainly is." Martin said, shoving the papers into the file and putting it back in his bag before deciding he couldn't resist the teasing any longer. "You know, I didn't see you as being the jealous type."

"I'm not."

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I think green's your colour." Martin chuckled.

"I was _not_ jealous." Samantha huffed, hating that she was so readable.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of." Martin said, lowering his voice and leaning into her. "I would be jealous of you having dinner with your cousin too."

"Oh go away." Samantha exclaimed with a laugh, punching him in the arm and pushing him back over to the window.

Martin grinned and opened his book just as the captain announced it was time to land.

……………………………………………….

"I can't believe people live like this." Samantha muttered looking at the lush villas with expensive cars parked out front as she and Martin walked through the village made from money on the way to the Vohland residence. "Don't they get bored with paradise?"

Martin shrugged, cleaning his sunglasses on his shirt before putting them on. "I don't know, I could get used to it."

Samantha glanced at him. "Don't tell me: Daddy dearest has a place here."

"I may have spent a couple of summers here." Martin said offhandedly.

Samantha laughed and shook her head in disbelief.

As they approached Vohland's house, Martin spotted someone doing laps in the pool and signalled to Samantha.

"_**Nice to see you're enjoying the fruits of your labour, Vohland."**_

"**_Excuse me?"_**

"**_You remember me? Seattle, '99, counterfeit pc chips?" _**

"**_Sorry, I'm terrible with faces."_**

"**_Are you any better with names like Dennis Ricci or Timothy Deleia? You were both." _**Martin shot, slightly cockily.

This didn't go unnoticed by Vohland and he glanced at Samantha. "**_Is this your girlfriend?"_**

Martin couldn't help but give a small smile and left the question for Samantha to answer.

"**_I'm his partner." _**She said looking in disgust at Vohland.

"**_You're a lot better-looking than his last one."_**

"**_We're looking for Whitney Ridder. She went missing two days ago in New York right after you called her."_**

"**_I never heard of her. Probably dialled the wrong number."_**

"**_Take a look." _**Martin ordered, holding out a photo of Whitney Ridder for him to look at.

"**_Whitney, huh?" _**Lucas Vohland said, sitting down on his sun lounger.**_ " I knew her as Cat Fontaine out here. Met her at the club last winter -- the Conquista." " Nice top spin lob." _**He added with a smirk at Samantha.

"**_So, why'd you call her that night?" _**Samantha asked. God this man was slimy in the extreme.

"**_I'm leaving for New York in a couple of weeks. I was looking _**

**_for a hotel recommendation."_**

"**_So you wouldn't know anything about the investment scam she was running in the city?"_**

"**_Cat? You got to be kidding. No, not at all. As per my parole conditions, I have removed myself from any and all areas of illicit influence. I've got a legitimate business here."_**

Martin obviously didn't believe him. "**_Some things never change. We're going to stick around for a few days, check out your story. I wouldn't go anywhere."_**

"**_Why leave paradise?" _**

"I don't believe a word he's saying." Samantha said as they walked away.

"Good, you shouldn't." Martin sighed. "I think we should start asking around whether anyone knew this 'Cat Fontaine'."

Two hours later and they had found out some interesting new information from some of Whitney's investors.

"**_It doesn't seem like you kill somebody for ripping you off on a _**

**_painting." _**Martin observed as they walked back to their golf cart.

"**_Certainly not those people. They'd probably just refill your iced _**

**_tea." _**Samantha sighed.**_ "You know, it sounds more to me like Whitney knew she was going to get caught, and she ran." _**She said voicing Martin's thoughts as well and seeing him sit down in the driver's seat she quickly said**_ "I'm driving." _**just as her phone started ringing.

"**_No, I've seen you drive." _**Martin grumbled.

"**_I'm driving." _**Samantha insisted, looking at her Caller ID.

Martin moved across, knowing that Samantha would end up getting her way anyway.**_ "Oh, where's the airbag?" _**He grumbled with a smile.

Samantha gave him a look before answering her phone. **_"Hello? Oh, yeah, look, I'm really sorry about that. I kind of got busy. Yeah, Thursday at seven sounds great. Okay, I'll see you then."_** Samantha finished with a sickly smile, snapping her cell phone shut.

"**_Hot date?" _**Martin smirked, debating whether it would be too much to mimic jealousy.

"**_Yeah, with my federally funded therapist." _**Samantha replied, annunciating the 'f's in distaste.

"**_How's that going?"_**

Samantha glared at him from behind her sunglasses and ignored his question.**_ "Here's what I'm thinking: This-this partner-slash-boyfriend I'm thinking it's got to be Vohland."_**

"**_Well, it explains why he lied to us about their call."_**

"**_Yeah. I say we pay him a second visit."_**

It was evening by the time they had given up on tracking down Vohland anywhere in Palm Springs – he had evidently long gone. Martin had said it was too late to drive out and insisted that they rent a villa here for the night at the Bureau's expense and Samantha hadn't been the least inclined to argue. She lay stretched out on her bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the whirl of the air conditioning, trying to summon the energy to reach for the remote control so she could check the headlines but failing miserably. On the other hand sleep was looking good.

Martin finished his phone call to Jack and slipping his phone back into his pocket, he leant against the railings and looked down below. He certainly hadn't been lying to his boss – Samantha DID need driving lessons and the sunshine certainly did treat her well. Apart from the call to her therapist, she had really lightened up since they had arrived, like the problems of the city couldn't touch her out here and as they ate dinner together, she had even managed to go as far as staying away from the topic of work.

He walked back inside and knocked lightly on her door.

"Come on, let's go for a swim." He said, as he walked in.

"It's dark." Samantha grumbled, rubbing her eyes with her hands.

"And it's still stifling hot outside." Martin told her. "You can't spend your only night in Palm Springs inside without checking out the pool."

"Watch me." She answered, crossing her arms over her chest and refusing to move.

"Fine. Well, if you need me, you know where I'll be." Martin said, deciding that he wasn't going to force her to go down with him since he predicted it would only be a matter of time before she followed him down anyway.

Turned out he was right. He had barely dived into the empty pool when she came out wrapped in a bathrobe and a book in one hand.

Samantha chose a sun lounger under the large spotlights lighting up the pool area and curled up with her book, keeping her robe fastened tightly around her. She hadn't always been this self conscious before – and a two-piece swimsuit was definitely more clothes than she had been wearing the night they slept together, but ever since she had the two inch scar on her thigh courtesy of the shooting, she had been careful to keep it covered whenever she could – almost like she didn't want to reveal her one weak point to anyone.

Spotting her, Martin swam over to the side and pulled himself up, perching on the edge. "Didn't take you long to realise I was right." He grinned.

Samantha glanced up from her book before realising that was a big mistake: he was wet, half naked and right in front of her. Blue eyes, gorgeous smile, toned body, dripping wet. "I thought you could use the company." She said calmly, trying to look straight through him. Then he stood up and started walking over and she had to look directly in the opposite direction. "Don't even think about it." She said sternly, reading his intentions. "I came out to relax, read my book and stay dry." He was standing right above her now, water droplets falling from his face onto her arm.

"Is that why you're wearing your swimsuit underneath that robe?" Martin asked, crouching down next to her so he was level with her face.

"No. That's just because I was afraid something like this would happen." She said giving him a look before dropping her book and sitting up.

Martin didn't even give her a chance to run before he deftly scooped her up in one fluid movement and they tumbled headlong into the pool.

"You, you, you-" Samantha spluttered as she surfaced. Then she pulled off her bathrobe which was starting to stick to her and threw it onto the side before starting to splash Martin with water.

Martin couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun. He tried to send waves of water Samantha's way but she had appeared to get the better of him for a minute by turning over on her back and kicking the water hard. He reached out and managed to grab hold of one of her feet and he pulled her towards him.

Samantha gave up kicking when she felt him grasp her leg and let herself be moved towards him. As she wiped the water out of her eyes, she felt Martin release her foot and his hands rest lightly on her hips to steady her.

"See, that was fun." Martin smiled as he automatically reached out and smoothed the wet hair out of her face. It was only when she raised her eyes to look at him hesitantly that he realised what he was doing and slowly moved his hand down her face onto her shoulder. Having her so close to him now made him forget himself. Right now, in this moment, they weren't two FBI Agents who worked together, she was just his friend and he was the guy who desperately wanted to be something more.

Samantha could safely say that she wasn't drunk this time. Sure she had probably swallowed a lot of Chlorine in the past half an hour but she wasn't aware that loss of judgement was a side effect of that. It was just being around him, especially now, made it very easy for her to forget herself. Although the water was cold, she could feel the heat radiating off him and she automatically shifted closer. His eyes were searching her face unsurely, trying to read what she was thinking. She rested a hand lightly on his chest before closing the remaining gap between them and, closing her eyes, she kissed him.

Their first kiss was soft and gentle like they were two strangers still tentatively exploring each other, but the second one was more urgent and passionate. Samantha's arms snaked around his neck and her hands moved through his wet hair whilst Martin's hands dropped from her shoulders under the water, grazing her bare skin.

Martin didn't know how long they stood there kissing and touching in the water but he knew it was like a dream come true. The first night they spent together was glazed in a drunken haze and didn't count on account of the fact they had no control of their actions. This time though, they both knew what they were doing – it had been a conscious decision even if he wasn't as fully in control as he told himself he was.

Samantha didn't want this moment to end. Here, in the water with Martin, acting like they were two loved-up teenagers made her feel happy. Really _happy._ And that scared her. The last time she had thought she had been this happy was when she was with Jack and the week after, things had fallen apart when he had told her he didn't want to be the cheating-husband anymore. Then months of heartache and awkward tension in the office had followed and it had been a year until things had returned to relative normality for them but even then, she still felt the familiar pang of hurt when she saw him with Maria. Martin wasn't married but they worked together and these past few weeks she hadn't just begun to like him as something more than a co-worker, she had _fallen_ for him in a bigger way than she had done with Jack. Suddenly, she wasn't thinking about how good a kisser he was or how much fun they could have together, all she could think about the car wreck she would undoubtedly be if/when they broke up ….. and she didn't think she could risk that again.

She stepped back. "I'm sorry."

Martin chuckled. "Sorry for what?" He said, reaching out to pull her closer to him again.

Samantha reached out a hand to stop him and moved further away. "No." she said forcefully. Martin dropped his hand and looked at her, confusion running across his face. "I'm sorry. I can't do this." She moved towards the stairs, unable to bear looking at his face and seeing the hurt and disappointment there. "God I am so screwed up." She muttered to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose as she hurried up the stairs.

"Sam!" Martin called after her but she ignored him and grabbed her bathrobe before hurrying back indoors.

After a long hot shower, Samantha lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling again. She could hear him still outside doing laps in the pool and then when he finally climbed out and came back in, she could hear him slamming doors as he made his way to his room.

One night as he and Danny had driven back from a crime scene, he had once claimed that he could read women better than his friend could, but now he was having severe doubts about that. This time yesterday, he had been so sure that Samantha liked him almost as much as he liked her and when she had initiated the kiss last night in the pool, he had believed for a full twenty minutes that it was going to be the start of something good for them. And then all of a sudden she had turned and pushed him away again. He didn't understand it. He was pretty much certain that there wasn't anyone else in her life and he had also been pretty sure that she really liked him. Martin stopped looking out of the plane window and instead started re-reading the case notes for the twentieth time.

"I'm sorry." Samantha said quietly, looking over at him.

She had been saying that at regular intervals all morning as they sat in the airport waiting for their flight back but he had just blanked her. She wanted to explain to him why she had hurt him, why she was so insecure about them …… "Martin, I need to-"

He turned to her sharply then, a fierce look of desperation in his eyes. "You don't need to do anything." He said vehemently before looking back at the file and plugging his iPod in.

Samantha stared down at her hands. She knew she had hurt him and for the first time in her life she realised maybe that was worse than taking the risk of getting hurt herself.

**A/N:- Wow, I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written. I hope you understand that this _needed_ to happen between Martin and Samantha for the rest of the story to work out so please don't hate me too much.**


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